This invention relates to a pallet for stacking catering equipment, and more particularly, to a pallet which has a lower surface and an upper surface which will interlock with the handles and bases of catering equipment respectively, so that such catering equipment can be stacked and transported in a stable and secure manner.
In the catering and food service industry, several types of equipment are used to transport food and beverages to and from a kitchen or other serving site. For example, beverages and other liquids, such as soups and chilis, are carried in beverage or liquid dispensers that vary in size and include one gallon, two and a half gallon, five gallon and ten gallon capacities. Standard prior art liquid dispensers of different sizes are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 respectively. The dispenser shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are representative of five (5) and ten (10) gallon dispensers respectively. Typical five (5) and ten (10) gallon dispensers include the LD500.TM. and LD1000.TM. respectively, both manufactured by Continental/SiLite International.
Food which is to be transported is generally placed in a food pan prior to being placed in the catering equipment in which it will be transported. Food is transported in various types of equipment, depending on the size and shape of the pan in which the food is placed. One prior art type of food carrier, which is generally designated as a side loader, is shown in FIG. 3. The side loader is designated as such because the equipment is hinged to allow the side to open. Although side loaders may have different shapes and sizes, the typical side loader is shaped similarly to the prior art side loader shown in FIG. 3, and will accommodate full size food pans along with other size food pans, such as one-third and one-half size food pans. A typical prior art side loader is the PC200.TM., manufactured by Continental/SiLite International. As seen in FIG. 3, the side loader includes a top surface which has a pair of handles extending upwardly therefrom.
Another prior art type of catering equipment, or container, designated as an end loader is shown in FIG. 4. The end loader includes hinges which allow the end of the equipment to open and close. The end loader will accommodate all full size food pans of varying depths, including but not limited to, 6 inch, 4 inch and 21/2 inch pans. One prior art end loader is the PC300.TM., manufactured by Continental/SiLite International. The end loader, like the side loader, includes a pair of upwardly extending handles.
Prior art equipment top loaders are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Top loaders are manufactured in various sizes including, but not limited to, a 4 inch single pan carrier, a 6 inch single pan carrier, and a combination pan carrier. Prior art top loaders of the type listed above include the PC140.TM., the PC160.TM. and the PC180.TM. respectively all manufactured by Continental/SiLite International. The top loader shown in FIG. 6 has a shape representative of smaller capacity loaders, such as the PC140.TM. and the PC160.TM., while the loader shown in FIG. 5 is representative of a large capacity top loader, such as a PC180.TM.. A large capacity top loader, like that shown in FIG. 5, includes a pair of upwardly extending handles.
Prior art catering equipment, like that described herein, is in certain cases stackable. For instance, the lower end of the side loader, end loader and large capacity top loader is designed to receive the upwardly extending handles of other side, end and top loaders, so that the equipment may be stacked. Likewise, the prior art liquid dispensers shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be stacked upon one another. However, it is often desirable to be able to stack and transport various combinations of catering equipment which presently cannot be stacked. Providing for such stacking would decrease the number of trips required to and from a food site, thus decreasing the time required to set up an event to be catered. It is also desirable to provide a method to stack such catering equipment so that the catering equipment is stable and secure for transport on dollies. The pallet of the present invention meets those needs by providing for the stable, secure stacking and interlocking of various combinations of catering and food service equipment.